Increasingly, the focus of the GPML training strategy has turned toward the use of alternatives to structured workshops, such as e-learning and mentoring/coaching.

The technical assistance and training programme is administered by GPML staff at Vienna headquarters who are responsible for financial resource management as well as ensuring that training is carried in line with organisational and pedagogical standards. Advice is provided to field staff on the preparation of training plans, as well as assistance in organizing joint programmes in cases where several agencies require the same training and it can be carried out centrally and more cost-effectively. While the programme is managed from Vienna, the delivery of technical assistance and training is primarily conducted in the field with appropriate delegation and accountability.

Structured Training Workshops/Seminars

These more traditional forms of training are delivered in the classroom/plenary setting and are sometimes offered in partnership with other agencies. Cross-agency resource deployment seems best suited to the design and delivery of more traditional training methods where multiple field specialists contribute to the training process.

The sorts of seminars and training workshops offered by GPML include developing money-laundering prosecution and confiscation policy, preparing for anti-money-laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) assessments, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) workshops for management, FIU workshops for analysts and other operation staff, FIU workshops in building relationships with reporting entities, implementation of AML decrees for financial institutions, assisting with regulatory guidelines and mechanisms, financial investigation training, prosecutorial training, and training in asset forfeiture and recovery.

E-learning Solutions

Our e-learning delivery mechanism allow students to access a knowledge base of expertise when they need it, at their own pace and schedule.

Mentor Programme

The GPML Mentor Programme has been in place since 2000 in order to provide more in-depth sustainable assistance to States in the fight on AML/CFT. Senior experts are placed for up to 12 months in requesting States to train personnel, advise in the conduct of money-laundering/terrorist financing cases or in the establishment of institutions, such as FIUs. GPML currently employs five mentors, of which two are jointly employed with the World Bank.

This training initiative has the following objectives:

Promote 'learning by doing', and avoid 'touch-and-go' training that is short-term and hard to follow up. In a technically complex field, government agencies need hands-on assistance for capacity building over a longer period, so that their people can learn by doing and pass on the learned expertise to colleagues.

Provide alternatives to traditional training approaches - classroom training has limitations - it is, of necessity, somewhat theoretical and generic, whereas Member States need to be able to adapt general principles to their own specific local/national situations.

Provide continuous upgrade of skills transfer - workplace training allows for continuous upgrading, during the term of the mentorship, to keep pace with changes in law and practice in a rapidly evolving field.

The Mentor Programme is particularly appropriate for the field of anti-money-laundering/counter-financing of terrorism. Many Member States are under pressure to adopt international standards but lack technical expertise. The field is technically complex and rapidly evolving. A mentor can make all the difference in helping States to meet international standards and to detect, investigate, prosecute and recover laundered funds.

For example, Member States require an effective Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which is essential to a successful financial investigation and prosecution. Some Member States have passed the legislation but need to develop standard operating procedures and guidelines. Even with these in place, many Member States have virtually no experience of conducting a financial investigation, and no experience in international cooperation and the use of mutual legal assistance. UNODC provides experienced prosecutors and law enforcement personnel who can work with their counterparts in a recipient country on day-to-day operational matters to develop this capacity. Mentors can advise governments on policy and build capacity, however the success of the program relies on a secure funding stream and UNODC selecting the appropriate expert for each circumstance.